KRG Receives Swedish Envoy to Syrian Opposition

The Swedish Special Envoy to the Syrian Opposition, Ambassador Jan Theslef, met with Minister Falah Mustafa today to discuss ongoing developments in Iraq, Syria and the greater region.

The meeting was also attended by the Swedish Ambassador to Iraq, Mr Jörgen Lindström, and the Assistant Head of DFR, Ms Siham Jabali.

During their meeting, both officials discussed ways of further strengthening the existing relationship between Sweden and the Kurdistan Region. Sweden currently has an Embassy Section Office in Erbil and is home to a substantial Kurdish community.

Speaking about the use of chemical weapons in Syria, Minister Mustafa said that the KRG is strongly against the use of these deadly weapons and underlined that the Kurds have been victims of chemical attacks in the past.

He said, ‘The influx of refugees to Kurdistan has increased since the attack, and we expect the number of refugees to increase from the current 235,000 to over half a million by next year.’

Ambassador Theslef commended the KRG for the hospitality it continues to provide to the Syrian refugees and said that the Swedish government recognises the impact Syria has on Iraq and other neighbouring countries. He also emphasised that Sweden places importance on the position of the KRG regarding regional developments.

The officials later discussed the recent parliamentary elections in Kurdistan Region as well as the upcoming Kurdish National Congress.